'That was a very, very disciplined drive'

"That was a very, very disciplined drive. Well done," team principal Christian Horner told him over the radio after taking the chequered flag. Vettel replied with his customary whoop of delight.

Alonso could manage only sixth place on an overcast afternoon that threatened rain without delivering. The Spaniard now has 195 points to Vettel's 272.

In a race that exploded into action, with two safety car periods including one that started with the bizarre appearance of a fire marshals' 4X4 on track at the front of the field, Vettel celebrated his fourth victory in a row.

Finland's Kimi Raikkonen finished second, ahead of Lotus teammate Romain Grosjean, in a race that began as another display of Vettel's domination before jolting the audience awake with a bang.

'I'm really pleased with the result'

With marshals putting out the blaze with extinguishers, the 4x4 appeared on the track ahead of the field between turns one and two and with its hazard lights on while the official Mercedes SLS AMG safety car brought up the rear.

"It's not great getting stuck behind the safety car but I'm really pleased with the result," said Vettel, whose podium appearance at the sparsely-attended Yeongam circuit met none of the booing that had marked the previous three races.

"Fortunately we had enough pace to get ahead after both safety cars but both Kimi and Romain were very competitive and did better with their tyres," he added.